Frugal Christmas Costumes

December 14, 2011

Things are gearing up for the children’s Christmas program at church with our performance Sunday night! :)

This year’s program takes place in Bible times – which means we needed period costumes for all the kids.

Dagmar decided it was time to retire the motley collection of plaid bathrobes that had served as costumes for several decades – and step things up a little.

But that wasn’t going to be cheap. Have you seen fabric prices lately?!

There was no way we were spending hundreds of dollars on costumes that would be used once a year for a couple of hours – especially when they are children in the world going to bed hungry tonight!

It was time to get creative!

We did find a great costume pattern with multiple looks and sizes on sale at Michael’s – then we started the hunt for material. Trust me – we left no stone unturned!

We raided Nana Shirley’s cupboards which yielded a few nice pieces and some great trims! Lorine, our resident seamstress at church, also found us some good stuff.

Then we started shopping garage sales, thrift stores and bargain bins.
White with PurpleOur best bargain? The plain white cotton sheet. They were cheap and pretty easy to find – and a little Rit dye turned them into whatever colored we needed!
King Herod
A shiny plaid piece from a garage sale made a great costume for King Herod, especially when topped with a vest made from a fake red velvet bed spread we found for a dollar at the local thrift store!

Blanket

The shepherds were really fun! A ratty old blanket turned into a great vest and an old bathroom rug with a hole in the middle became a sheepskin to throw over a shoulder.

Red with a bagWe used sheets, blankets, table cloths, curtains, table runners and even bed skirts to find the material we needed.

When she ran out of trims, Dagmar started used contrasting threads and played with the fancy stitches on the sewing machine to finish off the edges.

Aunt Julie came for a weekend to help her sew and put the finishing touches on everything.

The final result?

Some great looking and versatile costumes for a little bit of money.

And that works for me!

I’ve linked this post with Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

By Country Gal | Posted in Holidays, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

Let’s Talk Turkey

November 16, 2011

let's talk turkeyMost people think of turkeys as just a Thanksgiving food.

But not me.

A turkey can be one of the best meat values around – if you watch for the low price and stock up.

From now till Christmas grocery stores will be having some great turkey prices, and I’ve been filling the freezer.

I found it works well to put them in a row at the very bottom of my chest freezer since I don’t use them often. They are out of the way there and help push everything else closer to the top.

I just have one of the kids hold my ankles when I go in for one!

Often during the winter months we will roast one for a meal, complete with potatoes and stuffing. Then we take the leftover meat off the bones and put them in bags in the freezer to use in a variety of casseroles in the weeks to come.

(Did you know that you can substitute cooked turkey for any casserole that calls for cooked chicken?)

The bones will be put in the crock pot on low with celery, carrots, onions, water, and sage leaves to cook into the most amazing broth.

Just thinking about that turkey broth in a turkey-noodle soup is making my mouth water!

Other turkeys we will smoke or do a “mock-smoke” and use for sandwiches. It’s a great, inexpensive way to feed a large group of people.

I know it won’t work for everybody – but stocking up on cheap turkey now sure works well for me!

I’ve linked this post up with Works for Me Wednesday at We are That Family.

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Home Making, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , , | Comments (5)

Buzz Top Buddy

June 22, 2011

It was time for Buddy’s summer haircut and like every other year since he could talk – he begged for a buzz cut.

I don’t know why it’s been hard to buzz this kid. His older brothers routinely got a buzz the end of May every year until they were old to just say no.

But Buddy – we’d cut short – but never buzz.

This year though – he asked me once again after a week of extreme heat and humidity. The ticks were terrible and I had spent several minutes every night checking his head for the tiny varmints.

before
I caved.

We got him all set up outside with the clippers before  I realized that I had never given a buzz cut before. Jan’s dad, a retired Air Force colonel, is our usual barber and not only does a wonderful job , but saves us lots of money.

But Buddy had complete trust in me – or else he was desperate.

after
A few anxious minutes later – Buddy was buzzed.

He grinned from ear to ear.

Mom cried.

His sisters told him it was cute and every time he walked past them they would rub his head – which annoyed the kid so much that in desperation he resorted to…

hats…2 hats and a hoodie.

Hmmm… now tell me son, how does a buzz cut keep you cool in the heat when you keep it so well covered?!

By Country Gal | Posted in Children, Thrifty Ideas, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

A Green Thumb Revived?

October 6, 2010

When my former college roommate visited a few years ago, she commented on my lack of house plants.

She reminded me that in college I always had plants with me. Every fall I would haul them to our dorm room and every spring haul them back home.

Somehow over the years I have lost my green thumb.  All of my nurturing skills went into my children and little by little the plants died off.

I’m rather embarrassed to admit this – but they were replaced by -  plastic plants. I know they can be tacky but I still needed some green in my life – especially during those long cold winters.

Now that we’re in the new house with this amazing sun room that is screaming for some live plants  – and the children are older – I’m feeling like it might be time to try it again.  I even asked my mom to start a few plants for me.

Then we went to a garage sale on Saturday and the lady was selling these.

Plants 004Beautiful, healthy, large plants – for a buck a piece!

Plants 010 Yes! I paid a dollar each for these beauties!

Plants 017Including 2 big luscious ferns that fit right as if they had always lived here.

Plants 032I feel like I got a part of myself back.

But the big question remains – can I keep them alive? (Mom- go ahead and start those plants – I may need a back-up plan!)

Once a green thumb is neglected, can it be revived?

Stay tuned!

By Country Gal | Posted in Home Making, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , , | Comments (7)

What’s With the Dead Plants?

July 28, 2010

Mostly Dead Plants Just look at what I got at the grocery store!

What? You’re not impressed?

My husband wasn’t either – until I told him they were free! :)

You still might question what possessed me to bring home some mostly dead plants – even if they are free.

I’m so glad you asked!

First of all – they’re perennials. That means that they will come back year after year from the roots.

These have already blossomed for the year and have died back – leaving behind seed pods full of seeds – which is the second reason I grabbed them.

So not only can I plant the roots, I can harvest those seed pods and plant them as well.

And plant them I will – all of them!

My plan is to plant some of them in my flower garden, and the rest of them – and all the seeds I can gather – will be planted and sprinkled into the deep ditch in the front of the house.

This ditch is too deep to be mowed safely, so I’ve been trying to get wildflowers started in it. Ideally – the plants will naturalize and I will have my own beautiful wildflower garden.

But for now – I am thrilled with my free plants!

Sometimes a little knowledge can  turn what others see as trash into a real treasure!

I’ve linked this post up with Works For Wednesday over at We Are That Family.

By Country Gal | Posted in Gardening, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , , | Comments (9)